Sickness absence

We received a call from a business owner and it went a little bit like this:
Business Owner: “We are having a bit of a nightmare with an employee, he has gone off sick and he isn’t keeping in touch with us, we don’t know what to do”
HR Savvy: “How long ago did he go off sick?”
Business Owner: “About 3 weeks ago”
HR Savvy: “Have you had a Fit Note from his GP?”
Business Owner: “No”

It is undeniable that in today’s society, complex sickness absence is on the increase. We are never too far from the next news story about the dire straits of the NHS and our social care system is at breaking point.
There is another health related topic that has a direct impact on employers and that is the growing challenge of mental ill-health and it’s in the workplace.